Salvation from sin means moving from spiritual darkness to God’s light.

从罪中得拯救，就是脱离黑暗权势，进入上帝的光明。

[He] called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

[祂]召你们出黑暗、入奇妙光明。

-彼得前书2章9节

One day I received a bouquet of pink tulips. Their heads bobbed on thick stems as I settled them into a vase, which I placed at the center of our kitchen table. The next day, I noticed that the flowers were facing a different direction. The blossoms that once faced upward were now leaning to the side, opening and reaching toward sunlight that streamed in through a nearby window.

有一天，我收到了一束粉红色郁金香，盛开的花朵都笔直挺立、生气盎然。我把它们插在花瓶里，摆放在厨房餐桌的中央。隔天，我却发现这些花朵都转向厨房的窗户，朝着那洒入室内的阳光绽放。

In one sense, we all were made to be like those flowers. God has called us to turn to the light of His love. Peter writes of the wonder of being called “out of darkness into [God’s] wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Before we come to know God, we live in the shadows of sin and death, which keep us separated from Him (Eph. 2:1-7). However, because of God’s mercy and love, He made a way for us to escape spiritual darkness through the death and resurrection of His Son (Col. 1:13-14).

从某种程度来说，我们受造也像那些花朵一样会趋向光明，上帝呼召我们转向祂爱的光辉，正如彼得描述我们被召「出黑暗、入奇妙光明」（彼得前书2章9节）。在认识上帝之前，我们活在罪恶和死亡的阴影中，也因此与上帝隔绝（以弗所书2章1-7节） 。然而，上帝因着祂的怜悯和慈爱，藉着祂爱子的受死和复活，为我们开了一条道路，让我们得以脱离黑暗的权势（歌罗西书1章13-14节） 。

Jesus is the Light of the world, and everyone who trusts Him for the forgiveness of sin will receive eternal life. Only as we turn to Him will we increasingly reflect His goodness and truth (Eph. 5:8-9).

耶稣就是世界的光，凡是相信祂的赦罪大能，并接受祂为救主的人都可以得到永生。唯有当我们转向耶稣这位世界的光，我们才会越来越反映出祂的良善、公义、诚实（以弗所书5章8-9节） 。

May we never forget to lean into the Light.

愿我们永不忘记转向这世界的光。

Joyful, joyful we adore You, 

God of glory, Lord of love; 

hearts unfold like flowers before You, 

opening to the sun above. 

快乐，快乐，我们崇拜，
荣耀慈爱大主宰；
心灵开启在主面前，
如同花朵向日开。

Read:

1 Peter 2:4-10

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

彼得前书 2:4-10

4 主乃活石，固然是被人所弃的，却是被神所拣选、所宝贵的。 5 你们来到主面前，也就像活石，被建造成为灵宫，做圣洁的祭司，借着耶稣基督奉献神所悦纳的灵祭。 6 因为经上说：“看哪，我把所拣选、所宝贵的房角石安放在锡安，信靠他的人必不至于羞愧。” 7 所以，他在你们信的人就为宝贵；在那不信的人有话说：“匠人所弃的石头，已做了房角的头块石头”， 8 又说：“做了绊脚的石头、跌人的磐石。”

门徒是被拣选的族类君尊的祭司圣洁的国民

他们既不顺从，就在道理上绊跌；他们这样绊跌也是预定的。 9 唯有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属神的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗、入奇妙光明者的美德。 10 你们从前算不得子民，现在却做了神的子民；从前未曾蒙怜恤，现在却蒙了怜恤。